White Rabbits

Rhonda Resident was still having trouble moving smoothly. Willing her legs to propel her forward, she felt at first as if she were swimming through treacle, then suddenly, she shot forward at great speed, leaving Newton behind on the walkway as she sped into the streets of Move City and smashed right into a concrete and glass high rise.

"Ouch!"

Rhonda staggered back away from the building, rubbing her temples and turned to look for Newton -- just in time to see Foxy Lady's car slam into the young avatar and send him sprawling.

"Newton!"

Rhonda ran to her fallen friend, overshooting his position twice before finally landing by his side.

"Oh dear! Oh my! Are you alright? Foxy Lady is so terribly sorry! Foxy did not see you!" exclaimed the distraught mentor as she ejected from her automobile and floated over to Rhonda and Newton.

"Now you've done it Foxy," said Mentor. "We're supposed to be helping the Newbs. Not mowing them down."

"I didn't see him Mentor! Foxy didn't see him! Stepped right out of the mist and into my path he did. You saw it yourself."

"Relax Foxy. He'll be okay."

Indeed, Mentor was correct. Newton groaned and shook his head, attempting to clear his vision but, unlike the Roadkill Rat whom Mentor had accidentally run over in his distraction over Foxy's collision, which now lay flattened on the road, a steaming sheet of purple pixels, Newton appeared to be unharmed.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You were hit by a car Newton!" exclaimed Rhonda.

"Huh?"

"Hush now, dear," said Foxy. "Just a minor bump. You'll be okay." Turning to Rhonda she repeated, "He'll be okay," and then back to Mentor, searching for confirmation, "He'll be okay."

"Yes, yes. Of course he will," soothed Mentor Mentor. "We're all in a safe zone here."

Newton's vision was still foggy, but he struggled to his feet.

"I'm okay Rhonda. I'm fine."

"Oh! I'm so glad!" Rhonda threw herself at Newton in a giant embrace, but, being a good twelve inches taller than her friend, her arms vaguely encircled his head, which was thrust into the centre of her chest.

"Yep," said Mentor, with a knowing grin. "He'll be just fine indeed."

"You're sure you're okay?" asked Rhonda as she released him.

"Yes. Perfectly. I think perhaps the bumper car circuit is not for me tonight, however. Is there someplace a little calmer we could go?"

Rhonda looked around unsure, still not too familiar with the neighbourhood herself, but Foxy beamed.

"Beautiful Help Island is just a short hop from here," she said. "You can learn all about life there -- but nice and quiet like, at your own pace. Mentor and Foxy will take your there, won't we Mentor?"

Mentor opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again as he spotted the gaggle of fresh faces hurrying across the walkway to Move City, all sporting CSI:NY baseball caps. Foxy turned to follow his gaze. "Here they come," the mentors said in unison.

"Here who comes?" asked Newton and Rhonda.

"Excuse me," called one of the baseball-capped crowd. "Can you tell us where we might find the white rabbit?"

Mentor turned to Foxy, "Winner TPs to Help Island. Loser stays and explains the differences between Second Life and Snow Crash."

Foxy agreed and held out her right hand. The two mentors shook their fists up and down three times, Foxy pulling out her "scissors" animation at the last moment and Mentor landing his hand in "paper".

"Have fun my dear," Foxy said, patting Mentor on the shoulder. Then she turned to Newton and Rhonda. "Come along my sweets. Foxy will rescue you from this mad house."